This weeks thoughtful three explores a deeply held wound that I think we all have as women. I warn you now that this is heavy stuff! We all know about the witch burnings of the past but how many of us truly understand how that legacy affects our lives and relationships as women today?
Now this is something quite private which I am going to share with you – when it comes to spiritual and intuitive work I always feel a little inadequate, as if I don’t have the gifts that others have. Even though I have had some extremely powerful experiences this past year and I can feel changes within me and a new awareness or perhaps development of skill – that fear of being unable to do this work stays with me.
I was never been much of a believer in past lives but I always keep an open mind so a few months ago, as part of The Abundant Goddess course I’ve been doing, I did some past life work around these feelings. I was surprised to find that I had been a healer in several lives. However something awful happened to me in one of those lives, to curb my healing powers which were considered evil by the men from another village, I was captured and taken away. I won’t go into the details of what they did but lets just say it was pretty horrendous. No wonder I have such difficulty believing in my abilities today!
So on to my thoughtful three……
What I’m listening to
I’ve been listening to the Treesisters Feminine Awakening series, the second interview in the series features Nina Simons (www.ninasimons.com www.treesisters.org) and they talk about all the women that were persecuted and burnt as witches. There was particular mention of how women scapegoated each other as a way to save themselves which makes me feel that this was the birth of female rivalry as we know it today.
What I’m watching
The Burning Times
This documentary looks at the witch hunts that spread through Europe a few centuries ago. Thousands of women who were accused of being witches were tortured and burned alive. This widespread violence against women has had serious repercussions and changed the course of history for women right up until present day. Watching this made me so, so angry yet at the same time it sparked a desire within me to defy the ego driven, fear based patriarchal system that allowed this to happen. I will stand as a woman in my own power, unafraid of how high and how far that will take me.
What I’m reading
‘Scientists have found that memories may be passed down through generations in our DNA’
The title of this article says is all really. Have a read and see what you think.
Bad Past, Good Future?
I think the collective consciousness is changing. As women we will no longer be defined by the damage patriarchy has done to us. We will remember the pure pleasure of being held by a group of supportive women. All over the world women are remembering and gathering and healing the wounds. The stereotype of the bitchy woman no longer serves us today and we will rise against it even as the patriarchy tries to perpetuate the image in order to keep women divided. We no longer have to live up to the ‘I’m better than her’ mentality in order to survive because we know we are all amazing powerful beings in our own individual ways.
Love to you all my sisters!
Jenn
The info about witches is so wonderfully educational. It all makes sense men inventing evil coming from women so that they can increase their own importance. Only men and boys were allowed an education so they could write whatever they liked in regard to women!
Awaken the Goddess
Totally agree with you Jenn!